Governor control valve with adjustable self-locking device



Nov. 29, 1966 J, J ows ET AL 3,288,161

GOVERNOR CONTROL VALVE WITH ADJUSTABLE SELF-LOCKING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 27, 1965 JfRfi/Wf d F/FA/VAUWSK/ CHESTl-R S. G/MSX/ INVENTORS United States Patent Ofiice 3,288,161 Patented Nov. 29, 1966 GOVERNOR CONTROL VALVE WITH ADJ UST- ABLE SELF-LOCKING DEVICE Jerome J. Franlrowski and Chester S. Garski, Detroit,

Mich, assignors to Holley Carburetor Company, Warren, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed June 27, 1963, Ser. No. 291,102

6 Claims. (Cl. 137-56) This invention relates generally to control valves for vacuum type engine governors, and more specifically to means for adjusting and locking the anchor for the governor weight spring employed therein.

'Vacuum or other fluid type engine governors are well known in the art, as shown by Larges 3,000,388, Francis 3,018,766 and Wetterhahn 2,921,641. Since the control valves in these governors respond to centrifugal force, they are driven at the speed of the unit to be governed. In the case of engne governing, the valve is conveniently mounted on the ignition distributor drive shaft, as in Larges and Wetterhahn. It will be noted in each case that the governor Weight moves outwardly against a spring to close an air bleed orifice. In Wetterhahn, the weight moves the cross shaft on which it is mounted; in Larges, the weight slides along a hollow cross shaft; in Francis, the weight is guided within a cylinder mounted crosswise on the drive shaft. It will also be noted in each case that means is provided for adjusting the initial spring force so as to set the governed speed.

In Francis and Larges, the housing is open at one end so that the drive shaft and control valve assembly can be inserted into the housing through the open end thereof. In Wetterhahn, the housing is cast or otherwise formed with a closed chamber for the control valve. With the latter construction, the drive shaft and control valve assembly cannot be inserted through an open end of the housing; rather the control valve must be assembled after the drive shaft has been inserted, through access openings formed in the walls forming the control valve chamber.

In some instances, it is highly desirable to employ the Francis type of control valve, but in a Wetterhahn type housing having a closed control valve chamber. However, due to the size and unitary design of the Francis type valve, it is impossible to assemble it through access openings in the wall of the valve chamber once the shaft has been assembled in the housing.

Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a cylinder guided weight type control valve constructed so that it can be assembled on the drive shaft through access openings in an otherwise closed chamber.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel means for adjusting and locking the anchor for the governor weight spring.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel adjusting and self-locking means that may be employed in any application wherein it is desired to prevent adjusted cooperating parts from becoming vibrated out of adjustment.

A still further object of this invention is to provide such means which is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble and reliable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent when reference is made to the following specificaton and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an end elevational view of a shaftrnounted governor control valve embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the plane of line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows, and with a suitable housing added.

FIGURE 3 is a combination of an elevational view of the drive shaft, taken from the left-hand side thereof in FIGURE 2, and an end view of the cylindrical member that engages the left-hand side of the shaft;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the threaded anchor member being adjusted within an internally threaded member, by the use of a special tool;

FIGURE 5 is an end view of the anchor member in its free state;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of the member shown by FIGURE 5; and

FIGURES 7 and 8 are similar to FIGURES 4 and 5, resepectively, but illustrating a modification of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG- URES 1-3 illustrate a distributor drive shaft 10 formed with a transverse opening 12, the shaft being mounted in a housing 11 formed with a chamber 13 and access opening-s 15. A stepped cylindrical body 14 abuts against a flattened portion or recess 16 formed on the side of the drive shaft and has its smaller dameter portion 18 extending through the transverse opening 12. A port 20 formed through the wall of the smaller diameter portion 18 communicates between a passageway 22 extending diagonally through the drive shaft 10 and an axial passageway 24 through the portion 18. The end of the portion 18 extends beyond a second flattened porton or recess 26 formed on the opposite side of the drive shaft, and it is threaded to receive an internally threaded hexagonal member 28. This latter member 28 is separated from the flat portion 26 of the drive shaft 10 by the insertion of a locking member 30 having deformable tabs 68.

The outer end 32 of the cylindrical body 14 is spun over a valve seat 34 which is confined within a groove 36 formed within the body 14, substantially near the outer end thereof. A cylindrical governor weight 38 formed with a tapered valve end 40 is slidably confined within the chamber 42. A central passageway 44 extends substantially through the governor weight 38, terminating at a point near the tapered end thereof. Ports 46 communicate between the central passageway 44 and the chamber 42. A pin 48 extends across the central passageway 42 and is supported at its ends in the walls of the weight 38. A coil spring 50 having a hook 52 formed on one end thereof is attached to the pin 48 within the central passageway 42. The other end of the spring 50 includes a straight portion 54 which extends completely through the passageways 44, 24 and 25 and which has a second book 56 formed at the extremity thereof. The hook is small enough to pass through the passage 25.

A V-shaped anchor member 58 containing an opening 60 therein is attached to the hook end 56. The member 58, by virtue of its threaded edges 62 (FIGURE 6), bites into and thus locks itself with the internal threads 64 of the hexagonal member 28, in the manner to be described later.

An acces and sealing plug 66 is inserted in the end of the hexagonal member 28 in order to seal ofi the threaded passageway 64 from the atmosphere. One or more of the projecting tabs 68 (FIGURE 2) formed on the locking member 30 may be turned downwardly against the sides and/or edges of the hexagonal member 28 in order to prevent the member 28 from vibrating loose once it has been tightened.

It is necessary to employ a special tool 70, such as that illustrated in FIGURE 4, in order to insert the anchor 58 into its proper position within the internally threaded member 28. As illustrated in FIGURE 4, the tool 70 has an outer diameter small enough to be inserted through the internal threads 64. The grooved end 72 of the tool 70 is tapered such that the expanded end of the anchor member 58 may be inserted therein and then compressed as shown in FIGURE 4.

In assembling the control valve on the shaft 10, the shaft is first inserted into a suitable housing 11 so that the transverse opening 12 is positioned in the valve control chamber 13. The cylindrical body 14, including the governor weight 38 and spring assembled with the anchor member 58 on the hooked free end 56 of the spring, is then inserted through the left end access opening 15 in FIGURE 2 so that the threaded smaller diameter thereof extends through the opening 12 as shown in FIGURE 2. In this position, the flat 17 on the cylindrical member 14 is disposed on the horizontal flat 19 formed in the shaft, the flat or recess 16 on the shaft being formed in such a position with respect to the transverse opening 12 so that the cylindrical member will fit into the shaft in only one position; that is, it cannot fit into the recess or flat 26 formed on the opposite side of the shaft. The plug 66 is then removed from the hexagonal internally threaded member 28.

A socket wrench 21 and the hexagonal member 28 are placed on the tool 70, as shown in FIGURE 4. Next, the locking member 30 is placed over the threaded end of the cylindrical member 14. The tool is then placed over the anchor member 58 so as to compress it, and the hexagonal member 28 is threaded first over the compressed anchor member and then onto the protruding threaded end of the cylindrical member 14 until the hexagonal member and the locking member are tightened against the shaft. One of the tabs 68 on the locking member 30 is then bent so that it engages a flat on the hexagonal member to prevent the hexagonal member from loosening.

The tool 70 holding the compressed anchor member is then turned so that the anchor member travels inwardly until the front end 71 thereof engages the end 73 of the threaded portion of the cylindrical member. This gives a reference point for the adjustment of the governor weight; that is, the compressed anchor member is then backed off a specified number of turns required to set the governor weight for a particular governed speed. The tool is then merely pulled out of the hexagonal member, allowing the anchor member to expand and bite into the internal threads so as to prevent any movement thereof until the tool is again inserted to compress it. The plug 66 is then threaded into the hexagonal member to seal the assembly.

Tests have indicated that the anchor 58, once freed within the internal threads 64, will maintain its position and not become loosened, even under the most severe vibrations. Thus, the attached centrifugal weight 38 with its tapered valve end 40 will likewise maintain a constant repose position. This position may be adjusted at any time simply by removing the plug 66, inserting the tool 70 into the threaded passageway 64 and onto the open end of the clip 58, thereby once again compressing the same, and manually rotating the anchor to a new position.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate a possible modification of the invention. Itis apparent that the bowed clip 74, as illustrated in FIGURE 8, may be substantially flattened out by being inserted into the end of the suitably slotted tool 70. In the flattened state, internally threaded member 28 may be readily screwed onto the threads 62 formed on the edge of the now substantially flat clip 74. As in the case of the V-shaped anchor 58, a hook 56 extending from some member to be anchored may be attached through an opening 60 near the end of the anchor 74.

It is apparent that the invention provides an inexpensive, adjustable, self-locking device that can be easily positioned anywhere along a threaded passage to serve as an abutment or as an anchor. Use of this self-locking anchor member enables the provision of a novel, cylinder-guided type governor control valve assembly adapted to he secured to the drive shaft through limited access openings in a housing formed with a closed and chamber for the control valve.

Although but two embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described, it is apparent that other modifications of the invention are possible Within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. A threaded member adapted for insertion and locking within an internally threaded passage, said member comprising a longitudinally arced resilient body having thread-like projections thereon for cooperating with said internally threaded passage, said longitudinally arched resilient body being formed so that it may be flattened for insertion into said internally threaded passage, said threadlike projections serving to lock against said internal threads once said arced resilient body is permitted to return to substantially its normal distorted position.

2. In a vacuum type governor, the combination of a housing formed with a closed-end cylindrical chamber having oppositely disposed access openings in the circumferential wall thereof, a drive shaft mounted in said housing so as to extend axially through said chamber, the portion of said shaft disposed in said chamber being formed with oppositely disposed flats and a transverse passage through and normal to said flats, and a centrifugal governor control valve assembly mounted on said shaft through said transverse passage for rotation with said shaft, said assembly comprising a first cylinder-guided type governor portion having a shoulder engaging one of said flats and an externally threaded portion extending through said transverse passage and a second internally threaded portion cooperating with said external threads to draw said two portions against said shaft, a valve weight slidably mounted within said first governor portion, said valve weight being connected at its inner end to a spring extending through said first portion and into the threaded passage in said second portion, and an adjustable self-locking anchor for said spring cooperating with said internal threads in said second portion, whereby said governor valve assembly may be assembled on said shaft through said access openings after said shaft has been mounted in said housing.

3. In a vacuum type governor, the combination of a housing formed with a closed-end cylindrical chamber having oppositely disposed access openings in the circumferential wall thereof, a drive shaft mounted in said housing so as to extend axially through said chamber, the portion of said shaft disposed in said chamber being formed with oppositely disposed flats and a transverse passage through and normal to said flats, and a centrifugal governor control valve assembly mounted on said shaft through said transverse passage for rotation with said shaft, said assembly comprising a first cylinderguided type governor portion having a shoulder engaging one of said flats and an externally threaded portion extending through said transverse passage and a second internally threaded portion cooperating with said external threads to draw said two portions against said shaft, means cooperating with said second portion for preventing loosening thereof, a valve weight slidably mounted within said first governor portion, said valve weight being connected at its inner end to a spring extending through said first portion and into the threaded passage in said second portion, and an adjustable selflocking anchor for said spring cooperating with said internal threads in said second portion, whereby said governor valve assembly may be assembled on said shaft through said access openings after said shaft has been mounted in said housing.

4. In a speed governor, the combination of a housing formed with a closed-end cylindrical chamber having oppositely disposed access openings in the circumferential wall thereof, a drive shaft mounted in said housing so as to extend axially through said chamber, the portion of said shaft disposed in said chamber being formed with oppositely disposed flats and a transverse passage through and normal to said flats, and a centrifugal governor control valve assembly mounted on said shaft through said transverse passage for rotation With said shaft, said assembly comprising a first guided type governor portion having a shoulder engaging one of said flats and an externally threaded portion extending through said transverse passage and a second internally threaded portion cooperating with said external threads to draw said tWo portions against said shaft, means cooperating with said second portion for prevening loosening thereof, a valve Weight slidably mounted Within said first governor portion, said valve weight being connected at its inner end to a spring extending through said first portion and into the threaded passage in said second portion, and an adjustable self-locking anchor for said spring cooperating with said internal threads in said second portion, whereby said governor valve assembly rnay be assembled on said shaft through said access openings after said shaft has been mounted in said housing and whereby governed speed may be set by adjusting said anchor.

5. A threaded locking device adapted to be inserted in a threaded passage by means of a tool having a round shank and a groove formed in one end thereof, said device comprising a threaded body adapted for insertion and locking within the internally threaded passage, said body having at least one resilient member, thread-like projections formed on the edges of said resilient member for cooperating with the internally threaded passage, said resilient member being formed so that it may be compressed within said groove of said tool for insertion therewith into the passage, said thread-like projections serving to bite into and lock with the internal thread when said tool is removed from said passage, thereby permitting said resilient member to return to substantially its normal distorted position.

6. A locking assembly, comprising an internally threaded passage, a self-locking device adapted for insertion and locking within said internally threaded passage, said device comprising a, body including at least one distorted resilient member having thread-like projections formed thereon for cooperating with said internally threaded passage, said resilient member being formed so that it may be straightened for insertion into said internally threaded passage, said resilient member being capable of passing completely through said internally threaded passage While straightened, said threadlike projections serving to bite into and lock with said internal threads when said resilient member is permitted to return toward its normal distorted position within said internally threaded passage.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 437,062 9/ 1890 Tyler.

775,812 11/1904 Fairbanks. 1,200,689 10/1916 Anderson. 2,416,110 2/1947 Mallory 137-56 X 2,664,906 1/ 1954 Lautzenhiser 13756 2,840,094 6/1958 Taplin 13756 X 3,018,766 1/1962 Francis 123-1 19 3,023,761 3/1962 Greenlees 13756 3,026,890 3/1962 Begian 13756 3,068,540 12/ 1962 Jaworski.

C. GORDON, Assistant Examiner.

WILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner.

ISADOR WEIL, Examiner. 

2. IN A VACUUM TYPE GOVERNOR, THE COMBINATION OF A HOUSING FORMED WITH A CLOSED-END CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER HAVING OPPOSITELY DISPOSED ACCESS OPENINGS IN THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL THEREOF, A DRIVE SHAFT MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING SO AS TO EXTEND AXIALLY THROUGH SAID CHAMBER THE PORTION OF SAID SHAFT DISPOSED IN SAID CHAMBER BEING FORMED WITH OPPOSITELY DISPOSED FLATS AND A TRANSVERSE PASSAGE THROUGH AND NORMAL TO SAID FLATS, AND A CENTRIFUGAL GOVERNOR CONTROL VALVE ASSEMBLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT THROUGH SAID TRANSVERSE PASSAGE FOR ROTATION WITH SAID SHAFT, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FIRST CYLINDER-GUIDED TYPE GOVERNOR PORTION HAVING A SHOULDER ENGAGING ONE OF SAID FLATS AND AN EXTERNALLY THREADED PORTION EXTENDING THROUGHT SAID TRANSVERSE PASSAGE AND A SECOND INTERNALLY THREADED PORTION COOPERATING WITH SAID EXTERNAL THREADS TO DRAW SAID TWO PORTIONS AGAINST SAID SHAFT, A VALVE WEIGHT SLIDABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID FIRST GOVERNOR PORTION, SAID VALVE WEIGHT BEING CONNECTED AT ITS INNER END TO A SPRING EXTENDING THROUGH SAID FIRST PORTION AND INTO THE THREADED PASSAGE IN SAID SECOND PORTION, AND AN ADJUSTABLE SELF-LOCKING ANCHOR FOR SAID SECOND COOPERATING WITH SAID INTERNAL THREADS IN SAID SECOND PORTION, WHEREBY SAID GOVERNOR VALVE ASSEMBLY MAY BE ASSEMBLED ON SAID SHAFT THROUGH SAID ACCESS OPENINGS AFTER SAID SHAFT HAS BEEN MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING 